100 Famous Shinshu Mountains
The Shinshū 100 Famous Mountains were selected by Eiichi Shimizu as the defining peaks of Nagano Prefecture (historically known as Shinshū). The list draws heavily from the Northern Alps (Hida Mountains), the Yatsugatake, and the Central Alps — the backbone ranges of a prefecture that is, by any measure, the heart of Japanese mountain culture.
This page covers the 60 peaks on the list that can be reached without a private car. Most trailheads are served by bus from the nearest train station; for those that aren't, a shared taxi or regular taxi will get you there. Featured peaks include Kirigamine, Mt. Aka, Mt. Akaishi and Mt. Amakazari. Each guide spells out the exact route from the station to the trailhead — bus and taxi timetables, fares, and frequencies verified against official schedules. Use the map and list below to compare access ease and fitness demand, whether you're planning a day hike or a multi-day traverse with an overnight stay beforehand.
100 Famous Shinshu Mountains
Compare by the numbers
A high peak reached by a grassy ridge walk from the Ōdarumi Pass, welcoming arrivals with a sweeping panorama from Fuji to the southern Alps.
A vast lava plateau of open grassland and pastures, with a sweeping panorama of the northern Alps and Fuji from the Ōgashira summit.
A ropeway viewpoint plateau with a Suzuran lily wetland and a sweeping panorama of Yatsugatake and the northern Alps.
The crowning peak of the Central Alps, reached by ropeway to the flower-filled Senjōshiki Kar and spectacular in all four seasons.
An accessible one of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains with sweeping Nikkō Day-lilies, Rengeツツジ, autumn grasses, and high wetland.
A multi-summit volcano with 23 peaks and seven lakes, the most accessible 3,000-meter mountain in Japan.
One of the North Shinshu Five Peaks, where the sub-summit Daimyōjin-dake opens a panorama of Lake Nojiri, Myōkōsan, and the northern Shinshu hills.
A gently grassy summit offering a sweeping view of Enadake, the Central Alps, and the southern Alps.
A summit meadow with a 360-degree panorama taking in the northern Alps, Lake Suwa, Yatsugatake, and Fuji all at once.
A table-top mountain shaped like an upturned ship, dominated by the 200-meter cliff face of Tomosohiwa.
A sacred mountain lined with stone Buddhas, offering panoramic views of the northern Alps and the Zenkoji Plain.
A sacred pass mountain where the dramatic blue Aogare landslide looms close, with quiet views deep into the southern-Alps backcountry.
A Gunma–Nagano border peak offering views as far as Asama and the northern Alps, alive with Rengeツツジ in early summer.
A solitary peak with a refuge hut near the top, commanding fine views of the northern Alps centered on Hotaka and Yarigatake.
A quiet Shinshu peak with a rocky summit overlooking Yatsugatake, also famed for its Shakunage rhododendron display.
A perfectly conical Suwa Fuji summit with a sweeping northern panorama of the Yatsugatake range and the northern Alps.
A steep climb up timber ladders and stairs ends in a view from the Marishiten lookout through ancient Hinoki forest.
An ancient sacred mountain of the Oku-Chichibu ridge, its iconic Gojōiwa pillar towering above, with views to the southern Alps and Yatsugatake.
A popular Ushiro-Tateyama peak reached by the Alpine Line, where the Hakuba trio and the treacherous Kaeri-no-Ken ridge steal the show.
A Shugendo sacred peak featuring the harrowing knife-edge Ari-no-towatari and relentless chains, a genuine test of nerve and skill.
The only active volcano in the northern Alps, with fumarolic vents reachable at the summit and a history of eruption that shaped Lake Taishō-ike.
A mountain that dramatically shifts from mossy primeval forest and bog pools to a hard rocky ridge world at the summit.
The highest peak of the Shiga Highlands, with an exhilarating ridge walk through bog pools and Dake-Kaнba forest rich in flowers and views.
The northern sentinel of the southern Alps, nicknamed the Southern Alps Prince for its striking white granite ridgeline.
A sacred mountain steeped in Amaterasu legend at the southern tip of the Central Alps, with views north and south to distant ranges.
A mountain whose broad high alpine wetland and countless bog pools are hailed as a sky-high paradise, magical for summer flowers and autumn grass.
A great isolated sacred mountain with the mystical Ni-no-ike crater lake, its sweeping summit view simply described as unrivaled.
The Queen of the Southern Alps, a triple-cirque mountain carpeted with alpine flowers and known for its gentle, welcoming profile.
A border peak starting from Lake Nozori with views of Naebasan and Saburyuyama, rewarding for summer flowers and Joshinetsu panoramas.
One of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains with a gentle summit and 360-degree views, linked to Nekodake by a wildflower-laden ridge.